My smile widened as I pulled a folded piece of paper from my back pocket. I unfolded it patiently, then pinned it to the upper glass half of his storm door with my entire palm. “Look at the name of the buyer.”
“Milo Mitchell…” Feldman read, then leaned to one side to meet my gaze around the paper. “I assume this Milo is somehow related to Kevin?”
“His father.” I folded the invoice again and slid it back into my pocket. “And Alpha of the northwest territory. ”
Feldman’s eyes closed briefly, and the muscles of his jaw bulged. Then he met my gaze again and nodded. And opened his door.
“Thank you.” I stepped into the warm living room, but the guys had to edge past him carefully, because the stray refused to back up to give them more room—an Alpha move if I’d ever seen one. I couldn’t help smiling. Feldman was a good tom to have on our side.
When he closed the front door behind us, after a quick glance and sniff outside to be sure we were alone, I gestured to Jace with one hand. “Ben Feldman, this is Jace Hammond, one of my fellow enforcers, and another friend of Marc’s.”
Feldman nodded curtly at Jace, then waved a hand at the couch. I claimed the same cushion I’d occupied last time, and Jace sat next to me, while Dan perched on the arm of the couch. I opened my mouth to speak, but Feldman cut me off.
“Just because his father’s name is on that invoice doesn’t mean that Kevin has anything to do with the microchips.”
I nodded. “Especially if you believe in massive coincidences. But I don’t. Let me give you a little background on Kevin Mitchell. He was a member of our Pride for nearly a decade after losing a job as an enforcer to Marc. Then, a few months ago, he was exiled for breaking a very serious Pride law. He applied to be readmitted to his birth Pride, but his father—Milo Mitchell—was humiliated by his son’s disgrace, and refused to take Kevin back. So Kevin’s been here—exiled and humiliated—ever since. And I think he’d do anything to regain his place in Pride society. Especially if that anything included bringing misery to Marc, whom he’s hated for the better part of ten years.”
“Circumstantial…” Feldman said, but I could tell he was listening.
“Yes,” I agreed, elbowing Jace gently when it looked like he might interject. He had built no rapport with Feldman, and would better be used as silent backup until he had. “But enough to warrant a little investigation, don’t you think?”
Feldman nodded hesitantly. “What do you have in mind?”
“A joint effort for solid proof. If Kevin’s involved, there will be evidence in his house.”
“And if he’s not?”
I grinned, but my pulse raced. “Then we owe you a huge apology. And as a gesture of our good intent, we’ll give you everything we’ve found out about the company that manufactures these chips.”
“But by then you’ll already have gotten what you wanted—Kevin—even if you were wrong.”
I nodded, momentarily at a loss for how to reply. Fortunately, Dan was not.
“We’re not wrong, Ben.” He held Feldman’s gaze, and I was impressed with his nerve. “There was one o’ those chips in my back, too. And think what you want about Marc—he’d never do that to me, even if he was gonna do it to everyone else. He’s saved my ass a bunch a times. Why bother, if he was just gonna hand me over to the Prides anyway?”
Feldman studied his fellow stray for a moment, taking in his every movement, and likely his scent, as he judged Dan’s honesty. Finally, he was satisfied. “Fine. Tomorrow we’ll go to his house together. But if there’s no evidence that Kevin is involved, I don’t ever want to hear from you people again.”
“Fine. I promise.” I nodded eagerly. “Except for one thing. We have to go tonight.”
“Why?” Feldman frowned at me in suspicion. “What’s your hurry?”
I glanced at Dan and Jace in turn, seeking their opinions, and when they both nodded, I sighed and met our host’s gaze again. “Mr. Feldman, there’s part of this whole thing we haven’t told you yet.”
Feldman nodded, with no hint of surprise on his strong, dark features. “I gathered….”
I hesitated, then plunged forward, as if the words burned my tongue. “Adam Eckard didn’t kill Marc. It happened the other way around.”
Feldman went stiff in his chair. “What the hell are you talking about?”
I inhaled deeply, then continued. “Remember me saying we’d found a scar like yours on another stray’s back? Well, that stray was Adam Eckard. We found his body in the woods. Marc wasn’t dead when Eckard took him, and we’re not entirely sure how it happened, but Marc killed Eckard and it looks like when he took Eckard’s clothes for warmth, he found the scar, which he’d already seen on Dan. He put the pieces together and dug the chip out of Eckard’s back with his own pocketknife.”
Feldman blinked slowly. “Adam Eckard is dead?” I nodded, and he continued. “And Marc Ramos is alive, carrying Eckard’s microchip.”
“Yes.” I nodded again. “And we need Kevin’s GPS tracker thing to find Marc.”
“And once we have, Marc can tell you exactly what really happened,” Jace said.
Feldman’s eyes went hard, and for a moment I thought he’d kick us out without another word. Instead, he stood, digging his keys from his front pocket. “Let’s go. I’m driving.”
“Milo Mitchell…” Feldman read, then leaned to one side to meet my gaze around the paper. “I assume this Milo is somehow related to Kevin?”
“His father.” I folded the invoice again and slid it back into my pocket. “And Alpha of the northwest territory. ”
Feldman’s eyes closed briefly, and the muscles of his jaw bulged. Then he met my gaze again and nodded. And opened his door.
“Thank you.” I stepped into the warm living room, but the guys had to edge past him carefully, because the stray refused to back up to give them more room—an Alpha move if I’d ever seen one. I couldn’t help smiling. Feldman was a good tom to have on our side.
When he closed the front door behind us, after a quick glance and sniff outside to be sure we were alone, I gestured to Jace with one hand. “Ben Feldman, this is Jace Hammond, one of my fellow enforcers, and another friend of Marc’s.”
Feldman nodded curtly at Jace, then waved a hand at the couch. I claimed the same cushion I’d occupied last time, and Jace sat next to me, while Dan perched on the arm of the couch. I opened my mouth to speak, but Feldman cut me off.
“Just because his father’s name is on that invoice doesn’t mean that Kevin has anything to do with the microchips.”
I nodded. “Especially if you believe in massive coincidences. But I don’t. Let me give you a little background on Kevin Mitchell. He was a member of our Pride for nearly a decade after losing a job as an enforcer to Marc. Then, a few months ago, he was exiled for breaking a very serious Pride law. He applied to be readmitted to his birth Pride, but his father—Milo Mitchell—was humiliated by his son’s disgrace, and refused to take Kevin back. So Kevin’s been here—exiled and humiliated—ever since. And I think he’d do anything to regain his place in Pride society. Especially if that anything included bringing misery to Marc, whom he’s hated for the better part of ten years.”
“Circumstantial…” Feldman said, but I could tell he was listening.
“Yes,” I agreed, elbowing Jace gently when it looked like he might interject. He had built no rapport with Feldman, and would better be used as silent backup until he had. “But enough to warrant a little investigation, don’t you think?”
Feldman nodded hesitantly. “What do you have in mind?”
“A joint effort for solid proof. If Kevin’s involved, there will be evidence in his house.”
“And if he’s not?”
I grinned, but my pulse raced. “Then we owe you a huge apology. And as a gesture of our good intent, we’ll give you everything we’ve found out about the company that manufactures these chips.”
“But by then you’ll already have gotten what you wanted—Kevin—even if you were wrong.”
I nodded, momentarily at a loss for how to reply. Fortunately, Dan was not.
“We’re not wrong, Ben.” He held Feldman’s gaze, and I was impressed with his nerve. “There was one o’ those chips in my back, too. And think what you want about Marc—he’d never do that to me, even if he was gonna do it to everyone else. He’s saved my ass a bunch a times. Why bother, if he was just gonna hand me over to the Prides anyway?”
Feldman studied his fellow stray for a moment, taking in his every movement, and likely his scent, as he judged Dan’s honesty. Finally, he was satisfied. “Fine. Tomorrow we’ll go to his house together. But if there’s no evidence that Kevin is involved, I don’t ever want to hear from you people again.”
“Fine. I promise.” I nodded eagerly. “Except for one thing. We have to go tonight.”
“Why?” Feldman frowned at me in suspicion. “What’s your hurry?”
I glanced at Dan and Jace in turn, seeking their opinions, and when they both nodded, I sighed and met our host’s gaze again. “Mr. Feldman, there’s part of this whole thing we haven’t told you yet.”
Feldman nodded, with no hint of surprise on his strong, dark features. “I gathered….”
I hesitated, then plunged forward, as if the words burned my tongue. “Adam Eckard didn’t kill Marc. It happened the other way around.”
Feldman went stiff in his chair. “What the hell are you talking about?”
I inhaled deeply, then continued. “Remember me saying we’d found a scar like yours on another stray’s back? Well, that stray was Adam Eckard. We found his body in the woods. Marc wasn’t dead when Eckard took him, and we’re not entirely sure how it happened, but Marc killed Eckard and it looks like when he took Eckard’s clothes for warmth, he found the scar, which he’d already seen on Dan. He put the pieces together and dug the chip out of Eckard’s back with his own pocketknife.”
Feldman blinked slowly. “Adam Eckard is dead?” I nodded, and he continued. “And Marc Ramos is alive, carrying Eckard’s microchip.”
“Yes.” I nodded again. “And we need Kevin’s GPS tracker thing to find Marc.”
“And once we have, Marc can tell you exactly what really happened,” Jace said.
Feldman’s eyes went hard, and for a moment I thought he’d kick us out without another word. Instead, he stood, digging his keys from his front pocket. “Let’s go. I’m driving.”
